Tamla Motown TMG 543 (A), November 1965

One of the salient features of Holland-Dozier-Holland’s best collaborations with the Supremes so far – Baby Love would be THE example, but you could also say this about Stop! In The Name Of Love, Where Did Our Love Go, Mother Dear, The Only Time I’m Happy, never mind a few more we’ve yet to meet – is the way that the words play against the music. On the one hand, all of those records (if you didn’t understand English) sound happy, HDH’s pumping, upbeat music and the Supremes’ high, perfect filigree harmonies catching your ear straight away. On the other hand, sit down and look at some of those lyrics, and it becomes clear we’re actually dealing with a series of emotionally damaged, desperate women.

The effect is undeniably powerful, it’s striking and it packs a punch, as though the dichotomy of the lyrics and the music serves to strengthen both, delivering maximum message for maximum impact. But it raises the question: why do Holland-Dozier-Holland and the Supremes not double down on joy, like Smokey Robinson with the Temptations’ My Girl and Mary Wells’ My Guy? Why don’t they turn in a happy-sounding song that really is happy, instead of wrongfooting future karaoke singers with unexpectedly dark themes?

And then we come to I Hear A Symphony, and it becomes clear: they couldn’t commit everything to happiness too often, because the effect is so potent that if used irresponsibly, it could literally have broken listeners’ hearts.

NECESSITY, INVENTION, AND OTHER NINE LETTER WORDS

My favourite Supremes record – do you like how I kept that below the fold there? – was in many ways a reaction (an over-reaction, really) to the perceived failure of their previous single. Motown had chosen Nothing But Heartaches as the next single from the magnificent More Hits by the Supremes LP, firmly in the hope it would become their sixth 45 in a row to top the charts; when it instead mystifyingly stalled outside the Top Ten, Motown went into crisis mode. Despite More Hits being far from mined out for hit singles (indeed, unsubstantiated rumours persist that Motown had already slated Mother Dear for a second abortive 7″ release), Berry Gordy demanded something new. The infamous memo Gordy sent to his bewildered staff:

“We will release nothing less than Top Ten product on any artist. And because the Supremes’ world-wide acceptance is greater than the other artists, on them we will release only Number One records.”

…was the direct result of Nothing But Heartaches not living up to commercial expectations, the first time the company had had to react to a big-ticket single from a big-name act unexpectedly tanking in the charts. The message was loud and clear: this next one had better be a huge hit, boys and girls. Or else.

Gordy’s canny political play in giving the Holland-Dozier-Holland team a subtle, easily-denied but nonetheless unmistakeable public bollocking seems to have worked. If I Hear A Symphony isn’t the massive departure from the earlier Supremes hit-making formula it’s sometimes painted as, well, it’s still a departure nonetheless, Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier using the opportunity to try out several new musical ideas on a bigger and grander scale than anything that had gone before, Eddie Holland for the first time allowing Diana Ross to finally be unambiguously, deliriously happy. Nobody was going to accuse the writers of not doing their best to obey Gordy’s memo, that’s for sure.

There were other factors at work too, of course. The liner notes to The Complete Motown Singles: Volume 5 mention in a casual aside when discussing I Hear A Symphony that Motown sold more 45s in the US in 1965 than any other company, and that Jobete was named by the BMI as the most profitable publishing company for the same year.

This sort of thing did not go unnoticed by rival labels, many of whom started pushing for their own piece of the Motor City action. Some sent their acts to Detroit (as Smokey Robinson memorably put it, “they figured it was in the air, that if they came to Detroit and recorded on the freeway, they’d get the Motown Sound”); some set about mechanically recreating what Motown was doing, slavishly copying the Funk Brothers’ style as best they and their session musicians could manage.

One of the most successful copycat attempts came courtesy of New York girl group the Toys, whose A Lover’s Concerto blended the sound of the Motown rhythm section with a Bach concerto and promptly sold two million copies. Penny for Berry Gordy’s thoughts; it’s never been conclusively proven whether or not Holland-Dozier-Holland purposely set about, or were told to set about, making a pop record with classical influences as a reaction to the Toys’ record – but whatever the reasons, Motown rushed this one through alright, from writing to recording to record store shelves in the space of a week.

(Gordy, so the story goes, heard the rough acetate at 3am one morning, loved it, noted that the Supremes were in town on a stopover between live shows, and immediately ordered Brian Holland to get it finished and recorded that day. Eddie Holland recalls teaching Diana Ross the words while he was still writing them; several observers have noticed Diana’s lead vocal lacks the polish of earlier efforts, supposedly a result of the rushed recording. How much of any of this is actually true, and how much is mythologising, is anyone’s guess.)

Whether it was sheer opportunism or complete coincidence, the idea to write a classically-influenced track had been burning away in its composers’ heads for a while now. Brian Holland credited his schooldays being sent to watch the Detroit Symphony Orchestra courtesy of his dad’s job on the Ford assembly lines, Lamont Dozier namechecked Bach by name. So as well as the Toys, we might have to thank both Bach and the Ford Motor Company for bringing us here, because the cumulative result of all those factors was this record, and it’s brilliant.

IT’S A STRING THING

One of the things that most annoys me about much of the criticism I’ve read on I Hear A Symphony is that, plainly, the people doing the evaluating have no idea what they’re talking about. This is a record that ends up (like so many Motown singles of the era) swimming in strings, and so a lot of reviewers have simply made a ham-fisted connection between that and the title, noting I Hear A Symphony incorporates influences from classical music. Well, yes, it does, but the strings are only a small part of that.

Rather, it’s the song’s structure which takes its cues from classical music – a fact openly acknowledged by its composers. It’s the framework for a rather different kind of pop record than we’ve really encountered before here on Motown Junkies: a pop record that doesn’t sound like a classical piece but rather is constructed like a classical piece. A sparse, quiet beginning that stealthily builds into an ascending first movement, the same motif developed throughout the song (no chorus, just repetition, different voices playing that one motif) until we reach a barnstorming, blow-the-roof-off finish: it’s Holland-Dozier-Holland’s take on the pop song as classical fugue.

What to make of the more obvious classical trappings, then? What about those strings? I don’t think it’s so simple as the writers just adding them in there to make sure the classical allusions took proper hold in the audience’s mind. For fifty years it’s been a standard pop music maneouvre for writers/producers to slap on a string section and give their composition instant gravitas, dignity, class, but that’s not really what’s going on here; if anything, they’re relatively restrained compared to what the Temptations and Miracles were doing at around the same time, perhaps precisely because the reference in the title might make listeners over-ascribe meaning to the string parts.

Supposedly, the germ of the song came from Holland (B.) and Dozier spoofing love scenes from old movies, the music swelling as our romantic leads share a kiss, the writers thinking it would be an amusing notion if those buttery orchestral strings were actually diagetic and the characters on screen could actually hear them. This explains what happens the first time the string section makes itself heard: without that knowledge, the spectre of naffness briefly looms from stage left, a little violin sting straight after the word “Symphony” as if someone is hitting you over the head with the symbolism (because strings = classical = symphony, DO YOU SEE?), but then they disappear almost entirely from the track, the idea already planted.

No, the overriding impression one gets from I Hear A Symphony, musically, is a climb. It gets louder, higher, busier and more powerful as it goes on, so much so that it takes a few dedicated listens to work out just how the whispering vibes and soft repeating bass from the intro end up becoming the full-on hundred-man handclap love-in of the final fade-out.

AS YOU STAND HOLDING ME

Is this Eddie Holland’s best lyric? It’s certainly right up there for me, which maybe makes it even more surprising that he claims to have still been writing on the lyric sheets as he was handing them to Diana. Similarly, if Miss Ross was tired and rushed, it’s to the song’s credit, her slightly breathless voice fitting the sentiments perfectly, as though you can actually hear the tears glistening in her eyes. Brian and Lamont’s jokey ideas of hokey films have become something much more deep and powerful, something in line with the likes of My Girl and Baby I Need Your Loving: when you’re this much in love, the physical laws of the universe don’t apply. Music – not just any specific piece of music, but the entire spirit, the whole body of music that has ever been made and will ever be made – is on your side.

Perhaps Eddie and Diana not being given the chance to overthink this, their being forced to trust their first instincts because there simply wasn’t time to second-guess themselves, was a blessing. Diana’s narrator isn’t just in love, she’s so in love that only music can come close to explaining it. Furthermore, even though the song’s in the second person, it never feels like it’s being sung for her lover’s benefit; surely, surely, he already knows. But neither is she showing off; she’s simply got to tell the entire world about this, and they’ll understand. And we do.

These tears that fill my eyes? I cry not for myself, but for those who’ve never felt the joy we’ve felt.

It brings me out in goosebumps literally every time I hear it.

I’d never change anything about this record. The instrumental break, perfect as it is (and featuring another squalling sax break as was now standard, expected Supremes procedure) is also perfectly situated within the song, Diana giving us the feeling that the break is there because she’s just a little overcome and needs a moment before carrying on. And then there are those multiple key changes, taking us far from where we began; there’s no question of it being mere laziness here, no hint of the dreaded “truck driver’s” change as used by a composer who’s run out of ideas. Instead, each successive key change feels like a rush of adrenaline, Brian and Lamont – and Diana – suffused with reckless joy, almost as if they can’t quite believe they’re getting away with these, just like Diana can’t quite believe this is finally happening, that true love does exist.

(I talk of Brian and Lamont and Diana, when of course I should be adding “and Flo, and Mary” – but while they sound lovely, they’re less prominent than on any Supremes 45 to date here, this perhaps being the first of the Golden Age Supremes’ singles which really could have been a solo record. But I digress – that feels like a downer, when in reality nothing at all about this record is a downer in the slightest, such is the overwhelming, heart-bursting sugar rush of pure happiness that streams out of the speakers every single time.)

Together, the three push their luck with each clambering step up the ladder, and still it doesn’t break, so they decide to push it again and stretch for the next one. And they carry it off each and every time, the song climbing forever to heaven. Of course it took them back to Number One. How could it not? How could anyone play this alongside any other record in that week’s chart? It almost feels like an insult to call it a pop single at all, to make it mortal, to make it somehow share the same taxonomy as Little Jimmy Osmond. I love it.

The Supremes would go on to make several more timeless, brilliant pop records. They’re far from done with the top of the scoring range here on Motown Junkies. In commercial terms, you could well argue that despite the six Number One singles, they hadn’t even reached their peak yet, never mind started to decline. But for me, no matter what else they’d go on to do – indeed, whatever else Diana and Mary go on to do, even now, as I’m writing this – they’d never be quite this good again.

MOTOWN JUNKIES VERDICT

(I’ve had MY say, now it’s your turn. Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment, or click the thumbs at the bottom there. Dissent is encouraged!)

You’re reading Motown Junkies, an attempt to review every Motown A- and B-side ever released. Click on the “previous” and “next” buttons below to go back and forth through the catalogue, or visit the Master Index for a full list of reviews so far.

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89 thoughts on “642. The Supremes: “I Hear A Symphony””

When you were an 11 year old kid living at 25th and Clearfield Streets, Philadelphia in 1965, you were aware that the further south you traveled on 25th the choppier the venture got. Past Indiana, Cambria, Somerset to Lehigh, and you were not in friendly territory anymore. You walked purposefully, kept your eyes alert, but met no one’s stare, and you never dreamt of doing it at night. Even with that precaution, during the daylight hours of one October 30th (Mischief Night), I managed to get myself gang chalked on the back of my coat.

But at about 26th and Lehigh, I’d discovered a hole in the wall record shop which quickly proved itself the failsafe stop for anything I heard on the radio that couldn’t wait another sunrise to own. The owner was a white guy in his mid-50s, semi-grouchy and none too talkative, which was fine. I wasn’t there for conversation. He tried the 45s out for your approval on a classic RCA EY-2 player, like what you see in my avatar.

I’ll never know now what I set out for that October day, but a new Supremes single automatically trumped or augmented any other intent. Today, I think I might trade back a couple weeks of whatever remaining life I’ve got left to relive that virgin listen. By no more than the mid-point of “I Hear A Symphony,” there was no doubt this group was boldly raising their game, and how. How well they managed was borne out by the record’s meteoric acceptance; debuting on Billboard October 30th, “Symphony” bounded 39 to 12 to 5 to 1 in four weeks, the fastest any Supremes 45 ever did it. By Christmas, it was another signature Supremes classic, no question about it.

I’d be very surprised if, after the turning point of “Symphony,” anyone remembered hearing The Supremes in live performance doing numbers like “A Breath Taking Guy,” “Lovelight” or “Run Run Run.” Motown 1083, just about singlehandedly, closes the teenhood chapter for this group beyond return. Ever after, Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard are adult women. The record asks, “don’t let this moment end.” If only that were possible, if only these three women could have stayed happy with one another even five more years, and Brian, Lamont and Eddie with them too. But, then and now, when “Symphony” plays, the magic is all-encompassing.

Nixon’s review isn’t up yet as I type this, and if “Symphony” isn’t one of his 10’s, it doesn’t even matter. It’s too late for a missed minor flaw here or there in the record to diminish the impact it’s had for me all these years.

Well articulated Dave L; a Philadelphian myself and at that time a first grader, the Motown Sound was already becoming the soundtrack of my life – even if I didn’t always know the title or artist at the time. One by one, these songs were being processed by my memory as I would get ready for school every morning listening to the radio and validation would come not only then when I would see them on TV but even now when I discover blogs like this. When you like something as a small child and later realize that you were witnessing one of the greatest stories in Music History it’s a very powerful thing! Case in Point: Marvin Gaye singing “I…..I……..I can’t take it!” on “One More Heartache” sat in the back of my head until I heard it again 12 years later! Marvin Gaye’s Anthology unlocked a flood of memories that I hadn’t already uncovered. At that point I began collecting all of the classic Motown I could get my hands on. A million thanks to the administrator of this site, and I can’t wait to see the 1966 reviews!!! Oh; and a 10 for “I Hear A Symphony” lol

It works in reverse too, Damecia. Ross’s 1971 “I’m Still Waiting” was a stone, four week No. 1 success in the U.K., and bombed here in the states at 63. I bought it, of course, but wasn’t very excited about it myself. It felt like a holding pattern single from a year-old album, something to keep us ‘quiet’ while we knew Ross was getting ready to make her first movie.

Yeah I remember when I first found out “I’m Still Waiting” tanked in the US I was a bit surprised. I wasn’t alive then, but it sound like it was a strong enough record to crack into the Top 20 at least.

“I’m Still Waiting” – as we’ll find out in, ooh, about 8 years at this rate – was propelled to the top of the charts here by Tony Blackburn, if you don’t already know the story. He was a top DJ on BBC radio here at the time, and for some reason he zeroed in on that song (an album track from Everything is Everything, already several months old and not exactly a record which had set the UK charts alight), and he started playing it over and over and over and over and over again, stating repeatedly that he’d make it his Record of the Week if Tamla Motown put it out as a single.

After a couple of weeks of this, the label eventually bowed to pressure and released it as a 45, whereupon it became Diana’s first UK solo #1 (and only her second overall – the Supremes only had one chart-topper over here), supposedly out-selling any of the Supremes’ British hits and becoming something approaching her signature tune.

There was never any convincing explanation as to why Blackburn did this – he was known to be a big Diana fan, but he hadn’t done anything like that for her before. I guess something about that song just struck a chord with him. For me, it’s not even my favourite song on that side of the album, but we’ll get there soon enough.

Bizarre.

The US flop release came after the record had already hit the top in Britain (and after Surrender was already in stores) – Motown had originally had no intention of releasing it as an American single, but they took a chance on copying the Brits again in the hope of repeating the success of the Miracles’ “The Tears of a Clown” (another old album track that had hit the top in the UK as a 45). You can’t blame them for trying 🙂

Wonderful review befitting a wonderful record. I have so many stories about this song but I don’t want to write too much. Suffice it to say, it’s been there for lots of good moments in my life.

Regarding Diana’s vocal, I don’t thing there’s a thing wrong with it, or anything that would lead one to believe that she was tired. Of course, she probably was, but that just adds to the overall wonderfulness of her performance. And hearing her perform this song live on the Mike Douglas show, the now-famous flubbed intro performance, you realize how much she had matured vocally in such a short time. The story of her learning the lyrics while they were being written brings to mind Lionel Richie’s story about Endless Love, how she learned the melody during a one-hour car ride from Lake Tahoe to Reno after a late-night concert. Lionel’s account (from The Billboard Book of Number One Hits): “This lady did not have any lyrics prior to the session. She just had the melody. I said I’ll bring the lyrics with me. At 3:30 in the morning we started singing. At five o’clock in the morning we had Endless Love down on tape.” Professional to the core.

As for Mary and Flo, I love their faint, whispery vocals. They weren’t prominent on this record (or on My World… for that matter), but they didn’t need to me. Sometimes less is more, right?

All in all, a true classic that still moves people to this day. And one final comment… The album cover. My favorite Supremes album cover. One of my favorite album covers of all time. What a concept. Just look at it. And judging from the wigs and dresses, from the same photo shoot that produced many other very famous publicity shots. But this one photo, along with the lettering of the title and bold font of the group’s name, is awesomeness beyond words.

As the 45 of “Symphony” came to epitomize all of autumn 1965, so too does the album remind of the coming winter and taking both a 60 Line trolley, the a 48 Line bus to downtown Philadelphia and LIt Brothers department store to buy it in very snowy weather. Mobility was no problem for a determined city kid.

More than any other Motown album to that point, I Hear A Symphony made plain how much Gordy wanted to win over parents as well as teenagers. My mother never tired of it, and never asked me to turn it off. With Unchained Melody, Stranger In Paradise, Without A Song, Wonderful Wonderful and With A Song In My Heart, Ross was signaling that she was much more than the mistress of HDH’s homegrown messages. For Supremes fans, Symphony felt like the same kind brave exploration into different territory that Rubber Soul was proving at the same moment for Beatle fans.

The standards were recording during sessions for a whole album of standards, “There’s a Place for Us”, which was supposed to be released before the Supremes’ debut at the Copacabana and show that the group had the ability to handle these sorts of supper-club friendly selections.

Of course, that album was shelved and not released until 2004, but the tracks that didn’t make that album (as well as a photo from the session which was intended to produce the photo for the “There’s a Place for Us” album cover) were used as the filler for the “I Hear a Symphony” album, which was released in early 1966 – after the Copa debut.

Motown tried this tactic again with “The Temptations in a Mellow Mood” in 1967, which actually was released before the Tempts debuted at the Copa.

well, it’s simple for me, it’s a true classic and one we seem to all agree on. I have never tired of it and even enjoyed Diana’s solo version …..every now and then when she does choose to sing it.
I also like the Expanded version .thanks for the review, I have been waiting for this one .

I remember Diana reflecting on how they were trying to keep a newness about her voice and not let her over sing a song by giving her the lyrics just before the recrding sessions. suppose this is one of those songs

” You’ve given me a tune love..and everday I thank you love” The Fall of 1965 welcomed this song to eager ears for a little change in a Supremes record and obviously this was it! Yes, another Motown “Icon” recording! Still enjoy this today and looking forward to what you have to say about one of my favorite B side Supremes 45’s! ” Who Could Ever Doubt My Love” which is from the More Hits album! Thank you so much for your critiques..

Hi! Here’s my first comment – from France – on this fantastic site I’ve been checking for a few weeks.
Contrary to almost everyone, it seems, the Supremes are one of my least favourite big Motown groups.
Their records lack soul actually.
They’re not this perfect blend of soul and pop that makes me like songs like “Come on and see me”, “I’ll keep holding on” or “Keep on loving me” so much.

And I don’t like Diana Ross’ singing too much, so over glamourous most of the time.
I still like some of their songs though, even if they’re not what I look for from Motown, it’s perfect pop.

That’s great to see there’s so many different ways to like this label.

Wow. I certainly wasn’t expecting this to be your favorite Supremes record! Although, from your excellent analysis, I can certainly why you feel it deserves that score. As for me, I was certainly struck by its departure (to an extent) from previous Supremes records at the time, but this is far from my favorite. I never made the connection before (honestly!), but perhaps The Toys’ “Lovers Concerto” climbing the charts at the same time lessened my appreciation for this one, although the two really sound nothing alike. Maybe it’s because of the so over-the-top happy lyrics, maybe it’s the string flourishes (which I recall being something of a cliche at the time, and not an intended cliche as you point out), but even though I bought the 45, this wore out its welcome for me pretty fast. I missed the foot-stomping energy of the girls’ earlier hits (yes, even “Nothing But Heartaches”!).

Today, 48 years later, I can appreciate this disc a bit more in hindsight, but it still would get an 8 or perhaps a 9 from me.

Wow! I hate to be a dissenting voice here but this is one Supremes record that’s lost its luster for me over the years. Not quite sure why. Ran out and bought it the day I heard it and loved it. But I tired of this record even before its chart run was over, perhaps due to oversaturation. You surely couldn’t escape it. But even now, when I happen to hear it I shrug my shoulders and wish I were hearing, Where Did Our Love Go or Lovelight or Reflections instead.

I do have to say one of my least favorite musical devices is the constant modulation they do in the last part of the song. Don’t they do it in Lover’s Concerto too? I’m one of those who feel it’s a “go-to” device when all else fails. And it strikes me as sort of a transparent way to generate excitement. It doesn’t work for me here and for me it even makes the song a little tiresome. (Incidentally, I’ve never heard it referred to as “truck driver’s change” but the phrase brought a chuckle out of me and it’s quite good.)

And then there’s the Mary and Flo factor. Or rather the lack thereof. After I bought it and listened to it for a while, I remember gradually realizing they were featured far less than in other records. But then I don’t hear too much that they could do since the focus is so much on Diana’s joy (which she conveys nicely).

I do love the intro to the song and Diana’s first lines. It sounds delicious: the vibes, the bass, the bell of the cymbal. But it’s not enough. For me this is a 7.

I might add my Supremes 10 records are the three I previously mentioned and Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart. And there are several 9’s in my pantheon too. And I might also add I like your enthusiastic writing on this one. I guess I just don’t share your opinion.

So good to see ‘Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart’ getting so much love from treborij and Damecia! I’ll bite my tongue & save my comments for when it shows up – but it’s a candidate for my favourite Supremes song – it never had a very good press, much to my dismay.

I’ve been gone for a minute, but I always come back home the “the girls” as Ed Sullivan referred to them once lol.

Finally! I get the answer I probably asked YOU (Steve D.) when I first started typing away on your Supreme post which is what is your favorite Supreme song lol. I am not shocked that this is the one because it is a major standout in their catalog, even though it’s not my all-time favorite I do have a great appreciation for this song. You review captures your love for this tune as this song captures the love that is experienced when two are in love – both are absolutely splendid. IMO your best review to date. Just reading it made me hear “I Hear A Symphony in my head lol.

Musically, lyrically, harmonically, “I Hear A Symphony” is an absolute masterpiece. You say this song was rushed, but Miss Ross being the great talent that she is manages to keep her clear pronunciation.

I thought perhaps I could be the only person walking on the planet who feels that these words, “These tears that fill my eyes? I cry not for myself, but for those who’ve never felt the joy we’ve felt,” are the most brilliant and sincerest until now.

It always warms my heart to see that green shining 10 glistening in cyberspace like an emerald star.. I remember being slightly dismayed and baffled when the song came out; it seemed the Supremes were losing their edge. But the cumulative happiness which inspires so much eloquence from Steve gradually began to make itself felt – and though it’s not one of my fifty tens, it’s extremely close.

A little classical pedantry: the Lovers Concerto is actually a reworking of a modest little minuet in the notebook Bach assembled for his wife Anna Magdalena – probably it’s not even by him – but it’s part of the curriculum for most first-year piano students. A charming enough song, but ‘Symphony’ certainly wipes it off the map.

As for classicism in pop in general, an anecdote: my first gig as a professional musician was as a pianist in a Scottish nightclub in Montreal, the Bonnie Scot. I accompanied a tenor and played sing-alongs between sets, and sometimes just played. One night I launched into an extended version of ‘I Am the Walrus.’ My boss – who was definitely not Scottish – came up to me, furious, and said ‘This is a night club, not a concert hall, none of your damned Beethoven in here!’

And as for classicism in Motown – what’s classical in this song, for me, is its clear intent to go on echoing into eternity. Transcendence. But other songs sound far more classical in terms of their gestures – the powerful five-note motif that kicks off the Spinners’ ‘Truly Yours’ could be the opening of a real symphony. And the interweaving flute and cello of HDH’s next Smokey contribution ‘Come Round Here’ suggest classical counterpoint. And of course some of Stevie Wonder’s best work – ‘Living for the City’ comes to mind – really has symphonic (or operatic) scope and breadth.

Beautiful post, Steve. You’re at the top of your game, just as Diana was.

It does seem that, in hindsight, this one record that zoomed to the top, was the first of many turning points in the careers of some other Motown acts to follow as 1965 was winding down (no peeking please). 😉 But in all seriousness, it’s the mono that really cooks here (that is, very well done), the stereo mix by comparison sounds more medium rare which seems to be the case with many of these classic Motown hits.

And it wasn’t just with the distaff side of the fence that we see the influence of this tune rubbing off. Anyone hear The 4 Seasons’ “Opus 17 (Don’t You Worry ‘Bout Me)” lately?

During this period, The 4 Seasons had quite a few Motown nods – “Let’s Hang On” and “Working My Way Back to You” chief amongst them. Not to mention, under their nom de disque The Wonder Who, their rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice (It’s All Right).”

“Opus 17″(Don’t You Worry ’bout Me) by The Four Seasons..”A Lovers Concerto” by the Toys and, also don’t forget about “1-2-3″ by Len Barry…all these songs are by the same writer/producers…I’am trying to remember by memory at least one last name of one of the writer/producers…”Lizner” comes to mind..and yes mimicking the “Motown Sound”!! Underline the word Mimick! No one could touch Motown however, a good effort!

Hi Gang! A little late to the party but I’ll chime in. Yeah the 4 Seasons did a whole string of Motown-ish songs (some of their best). Someone may have already commented about the fact that the Supremes themselves did a version of “Lover’s Concerto” on the SYMPHONY album. Kind of an imitation of an imitation. I know some people out there who still think the Toys’ “Lover’s Concerto” is by the Supremes. Interesting story abou the Toys/Supremes. I saw the Toys on a TV dance show in the late 60s. They told a story about filling a gig at Detroit’s Roostertail Nightclub that the Supremes had to cancel. They said that Jerry Van Dyke was in the audience & yelled out “those Supremes are great!”. Pretty funny.

FYI – yeah there was a lot of Faux Motown out there in the 60s. I actually liked a lot of it! Sandy Linzer & Denny Randall wrote Opus 17 & Lovers Concerto but not 123. I just checked on google.

Thank you, Landini! When I was posting about the songs, “Opus 17” and “A Lovers Concerto” I was going by memory and the name was Linzer not Lizner..LOL..I was trying to recall the record labels by memory..thank you for checking this out..and thank you for your posts! On “1-2-3” the name Madera comes to mind!

well, I thought I was the only one who truly loved Love Is An Itching In My Heart, it is one of my favorites ,…at least top 5…it could be #1 but I will wait until the review comes up to say any more.
regarding IHAS,….I remember also that this is the one album and song my mom also loved and would listen to over n over……
I think the single and album have held up over the years and I still enjoy listening to it while some others I have tired of. now I am going to go listen to my IHAS cd.

“Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart” was recorded about a year before its release here in the States in March/April 1966! The Drums in this..WOW!! That was the Motown Sound..and best heard on the single mix! I believe this was also released so that H-D-H could come up with new material..ie; “You Can’t Hurry Love”..”You Keep Me Hangin’ On”

A 10. A ten. The ultimate in this Motown cannon ten.
O sweet ten.
With the squirt top!
Oh!, the song is so saccharine. So slick. So blatant. So SUPREMES. And so supremely repetitive. I just want this song to be over.
Am I horrible?
I skip over it when listening to Anthologies.
Yep, I’m horrible.
I don’t add it to my Motown Madness cds.
Horrifically horrible! No “I Hear A Symphony”??
Nope. Diana Ross singing the same melody line over and over again with her broad- faced- smile way of pushing the air out. Whew. It’s exhausting. I’m not lulled. I’m not hooked. I’m not even tricked. Not then, not now.

What could have happened if H-D-H had of written some interesting “B” section or even ONE contrasting line? Descend it instead of ascend it? Anything—-some variation instead of modulation would have been nice. Just an opinionated thought. It’s one of HDH’s “unfinished” songs to me. Their fingers crossed; the hedging of their bets.

Diana Ross sings purely with great diction but the simplest of melodies. Nothing too taxing. Whoah. This HDH symphony might be a beautiful thing, but these girls on sugar aren’t allowed to break a sweat. Not yet.
Thankfully the H-D-H candy box added some semi-sweet ingredients to the upcoming Supreme concoctions allowing them to stretch the taffy before it snaps and becomes brittle.

Thanks Mr. Nixon for a wonderful site and forum. I read all and often!

No, you’re not horrible at all. Although I disagree with you, I respect you for posting what is obviously a minority view. Long may dissent be encouraged, and let contributors to this site never make our differing viewpoints personal!

10’s to the left of me, 10’s to the right of me, everywhere I look I see 10’s. The original post by Mr. Nixon, a 10. The spirited posting by one and all, a 10. I don’t remember a song having generated this many responses a 10. Dave L. gets a 10 for taking me back down memory lane to when I was a fresh faced, dare I say it, 10 year old in the city of Brotherly Love.

Then there was the record. I missed out on the original release, there was none of that” Rock and Roll” stuff in my home growing up. A few have mentioned the simplicity of the record, which to me is the reason for it’s beauty. As a musician, I got/get the building of intensity, and the fact that the Funks could vamp on this from 1965 till now. I see different soloists taking a blow every now and then, be it the sax, piano, or even some of the string players. It becomes almost spiritual, when you are locked into a groove that feels nice, and sounds even better. I would like to give it a 20, but I am limited to 10, so 10 it is. Though I suppose if I posted again with a 10, would that make IHAS the 20 that I think it deserves?

Another terrific essay that not only defines why this is the great song that it is, but also perfectly captures your own love for it. A solid 10/10 for me also. This song was truly the one the Supremes needed to take them to the next level – “Nothing But Heartaches” was not that song (despite being another one of my favorites, and yes, another 10/10 for me!). The harder rocking sound of that track was perhaps too much of a departure for them, but “I Hear a Symphony” moves forward with its more advanced structure while still hearkening back to the beginning of that string of five number ones with its 4-4 shuffle and “baby, baby” chants. The “tears that fill my eyes” verse is the emotional highlight of this overwhelmingly joyful song, (not?) coincidentally coming as the modulations reach their peak. Where else can you really go from there?

Speaking of pop songs with classical references in their titles, I never made the “Lover’s Concerto” connection before you had mentioned it. I always figured that “”I Hear a Symphony” was the inspiration/template for the Four Seasons’ Motown-styled 1966 hit “Opus 17 (Don’t You Worry ‘Bout Me).” Both songs have classical references in the titles, and feature the verse-by-verse chromatic modulation trick. The modulation structure and placement of the instrumental bridge are almost idenical too (although “Opus” trumps both “Concerto” and “Symphony” with its SIX key changes from F# to B compared to their four, both from C to Eb). It turns out both “Concerto” and “Opus” were written by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randel, making “Opus” not just a response to “Symphony,” but a one-upping on the Holland-Dozier-Holland team that one-upped them (H-D-H are the winners, of course).

One more thing – did anybody else notice that intro of “Concerto” lifts the main riff from “Back in My Arms Again?”

I always thought that riff near the beginning of “Concerto” was lifted from “Stop! In the Name of Love.” One song that bears more than a passing resemblance to “Back in My Arms Again” is “Head to Toe” by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam from 1987.

I love reading everyone’s comments. It’s amazing how we all live in different parts of the world but all shared the same love for this music. I remember running to the record store (no matter the weather) to get my hands on the new Supremes 45 or LP. I would be holding my small transistor radio, walking home from school and hear the DJ mention he would be playing the new song by The Supremes and I would just be overjoyed to hear this good news. Ever since I heard Diana Ross sing “Where Did Our Love Go” she was my all time favourite singer (still is today). I loved the cover art for “I Hear A Symphony” and as per another post on this site, my mother began to take notice of the music when I started playing this LP. I loved the way it bridged the gap between our generations. The Rodgers and Hart LP and We Remember Sam Cooke sealed the deal (talk about versatility, way to go Berry Gordy). I have to say I started to learn about broadway and show music, and yes even was willing to give country music a listen because of Motown. This has nothing at all to do with the review but I did love “I Hear A Symphony” and would also give it a 10 (every Supremes 45 gets a 10 from me though). Can’t wait for “My World Is Empty Without You” (definitely my favourite to this day, oops forgot “Reflections”). LOL

“Symphony” is definitely a very well made record. Great arrangement. Nice vocals by Ross. She navigates the key changes near the end very well. Totally understand the 10 rating. I always enjoy hearing this one, but for some reason it may not be my absolute favorite by them. I kind of have to be in the mood for it.

Also, a good buddy of mine really likes this song so if it is good enough for him (& Nixon!) then it is good enough for me!

The SYMPHONY album is just a tad bit of a letdown. I wish they had kept the showtunes/standards/current hits of the day off it & concentrated on good old fashioned Motown filler. The material is competently performed & pleasant but the mix of Motown & other type of material is a little jarring. I do like, however, their version of “Wonderful, Wonderful”. On the whole, though, I never really went in for Motown’s Broadway/Standards albums.

I love the “I’ve cried not for myself” line. That has to be one of the most unselfish lines in a pop song!

Mr. Nixon, you may have mentioned it & I missed it, but what do you think of the Isley Bros. version? I sort of like it in a bizarro world sort of way.

When I was in junior high school I used to have a piano book of Motown songs & really enjoyed playing this one.

Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers (the noisy Welsh rock band who inspired the title of this very site) once talked about how, for sappy people like him (and me, apparently), falling in love completely recalibrates your pop music radar – “suddenly every song on the radio means something, and before I know it I’m buying the new Backstreet Boys single” – I wonder if this is a similar sort of thing, a knowing kind of a gamble: while it’ll seem sickly sweet to some people, to others who have felt that way, it’ll really hit home?

I recognise that’s dangerously close to saying “if you don’t like this, it’s because you’ve not really been in love”, which isn’t what I’m saying – rather, I wonder whether if you’ve ever found yourself feeling the same way, it’s natural you might be drawn to this song among all love songs, that its lyrics might strike a particular chord. I don’t know, this is all off the cuff and I haven’t developed this argument in any way, but I think there might be something in it.

Funny you should say that about songs/being in love. I remember back in the summer of 73 (40 years ago?!) I was dating a girl (we were 15!) She was still into Top 40 music. I had “matured” (yeh right!) & was into other stuff (I was listening to this off beat oldies station that played all sorts of cool stuff). Anyway, one day, they played “Little Mama” by the Clovers (a great tune). There was a line in the song that says “Little Mama I told your good friend, I told your sister Mary too”. That line always made me think of my girlfriend at the time since she had a sister named Mary. If I ever walked up to her & sang that line to her I probably would have gotten a strange look. To this day, I am still very good friends with both sisters!

Also, I had another girlfriend in college & I gave her a copy of Bob Dylan’s “Covenant Woman” (from his SAVED album) which I felt described her at the time. What can I say? Ha ha ha

Okay one more point. In about 90% of the “love songs” I hear, especially the ones where the person is whining a lot, I feel like slapping them & saying “Grow up!” I feel like a lot of Motown songs actually had a fairly mature outlook on romance. A couple songs on “More Hits” have the theme of moving on after a breakup.

I also like honest songs. There is a song by Patrice Rushen called “If Only” where she has to admit to her close male friend (who would like to be her boyfriend) that she simply isn’t in love with him. She does so in a very sensitive, mature way.

Which “she” are you talking about? If it is the college girlfriend. She was touched by the Dylan song. The line that really touched me in the song in relation to this particular girl was this “He must have loved me so much to send me someone as fine as you” I actually gave her a whole cassette tape of songs. We were both listening to a lot of Contemporary Christian music at the time – and that made up the bulk of the tape I made for her. We broke up about a year later, but remained good friends. My current church does a mix of contemporary/traditional music. The older I get, the more I am drawn to the old hymns. Cheers!

I’m in agreement that this is one of Holland-Dozier-Holland’s finest lyrics. (I wouldn’t limit it to just Eddie Holland because I believe that a lot of the ideas and the phrasing that gave strength to the lyrics come from Lamont Dozier, and perhaps Brian too.) The intimacy and precision of the musicians at the beginning of the record perfectly complement the simple but profound sense of happiness in that introduction.

And structurally, too, this is an experimental record, and I think that’s where, for me, it doesn’t stand up to the best of the Supremes (and H-D-H’s) work. They gambled that reintroducing familiar tropes from earlier songs (the cymbals from “Baby Love” and the backing vocal lines from “Where Did Our Love Go”) would carry the music through, but after the instrumental break, the repetition, for me, overwhelms the record rather than increasing its intensity.

It reminds me of a similar idea that runs through Kim Weston’s “Helpless.” I realize that I’m jumping the gun, so I’ll limit my comment about that record to this: The “Helpless” single cuts out a second verse that appears on Kim’s stereo version and on the Four Tops’ original version. I think H-D-H or Berry Gordy felt that second verse diminished the momentum of the record, and I have to agree. With “I Hear a Symphony,” though, I feel the momentum somehow stalls and I care less about the record as it goes on.

Yahoo! Brilliant, brilliant critique. I never heard “I Hear A Symphony” Until I got Greatest Hits in 1967. By this time The Supremes were “You Can’t Hurry Love”, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”, and “Theres No Stopping Us Now”. I can’t believe the songs I’d missed. And one was “Symphony”. It was so different ,yet still The Supremes. It was rock and roll and but somehow above that. Listen to the key changes that bring the song to a crescendo. Diana is stellar here. I know that Ross could get lazy but not here. She’s flawless. Florence and Mary were like a Greek Chorus climbing the stairs to Zeus.
“You Can’t Hurry Love” was traditionally my favorite Supremes hit because it was my first single I ever bought, but this is the one I can listen to over and over hearing something different every time. Diana once said that she loved this song because it made her feel sophisticated At a time when every body calling the shots was years older.than she was. Well, this song does all that

execellent record! I love a good pop song with vibes in it. And the return of the Supremes echoing “baby, Baby” is so welcome. As great a performance as this is, Ronnie Isley came along about 2 years later and stole it from her! It will remain my favorite version.

Didn’t know where to put this so….. Last night our local PBS station ran a documentary, “Girl Group Groove” hosted by Mary Wilson. It was all vintage clips and I’m sure most are on You Tube. But there was a great Martha & Vandellas clip of Heat Wave (looked like it was from Where The Action Is) , Marvelettes doing Postman (the trio, lip synching to the record). A great non-Motown clip was live version of Barbara Lynn doing You’ll Lose A Good Thing. Never knew she played guitar!

Best of all was Mary introducing the Toys “Lover’s Concerto” saying how much they all loved the track. Then, ironically they followed it up with Supremes doing I Hear A Symphony. Not sure where this clip was from. They were clearly miming to the record but they were standing in front of a full orchestra with all the musicians frozen, mid-performance, as Flo, Mary and Diane looked elegant moving in front. It was actually kind of cool. Not sure where it was from. Does anyone remember this?

Over the credits they had a live Supremes clip doing Where Did Our Love Go. It looked like it was from Shindig but it was cut short. Grrrrrr.

Although this is a beautifully finished product I do think it goes on a bit too long. The bridge and instrumental break are finished in little over a minute and then the chorus is repeated time and time again until the fade. I’d give it a 9.9 for production and arrangement, but only a 7 for the as actual composition. If it wasn’t for the marvelous orchestration I would get bored after 2 minutes.

First question: How many songs did Holland-Dozier-Holland write during Motown’s Golden Era (with songs released in 1962-1968 in their case)? I mean, specifically, “how many were written by all three,” not including songs like Everything Is Good About You (by Eddie and James Dean) or All That Glitters Isn’t Gold (by Brian, Lamont and Billy Gordon).

I count 144, including the singles, album cuts and unreleased songs known to me (and including Dearest One, although there is some confusion about the authorship of that one, and including The Happening, which is H–D-H plus Frank DeVol. I count each song only once, although, of course, some, such as Baby I Need Your Loving and Come See About Me were recorded more than once).

Second question: will this site at some point have a list of all the H-D-H songs (or, for that matter, all the songs attributed to Smokey Robinson or Norman Whitfield or others)?

Third question: I understand that there are several relatively new digital download albums called Unreleased 1962 and Unreleased 1963, and I have seen respective listings of the titles associated with each but no indication of who wrote the various cuts. Are there any “new” H-D-H songs on these digital releases?

It’s a worthwhile site. It has lots of info regarding each song released on Motown and published by Jobete, including dates, authorship, various artists that recorded the song. I believe it has info regarding most of the tracks on those Unreleased downloads. Maybe this will help.

DFTMC includes information on Unreleased 1962, but has not yet been updated to include Unreleased 1963. The only track I’m aware of on Unreleased 1963 that was written by HDH is Freddie Gorman’s “I’m Gonna Make It to the Top”.

Thanks! That compendium is fascinating and helpful! After going through the list, it seems that officially H-D-H were responsible for 158 songs during this period. However, it appears that several (Detroit Is Happening; We Couldn’t Get Along Without You) were promotional or specialty items, and several more (Treat Her Right, True Fine Boy, etc.) were incomplete, unissued, instrumental tracks lacking their intended vocals. Too, the 1966 “overture” preceding Diana Ross & The Supremes’ Roostertail appearance was counted as a separate composition, although it is simply an instrumental medley of several hits rather than an independent entity. As well, it looks like the non-Motown cut Can’t Satisfy is credited to H-D-H due to some plagiarism. And one, Baby That’s A Groove was identified as being by H-D-H and two other writers, but the record label shows it was composed by only two-thirds of H-D-H and one of the other writers. So the official tally of 158 finalized songs is a bit overstated; as far as I can tell, it’s more like 149.

I was pleased to see two released songs of interest to me: It’s A Good Feeling and The Wheels Of The City. Unfortunately, the latter of these is no longer in print, but I downloaded the former. Also, I downloaded and will include I’m Gonna Make It To The Top on my mix-tape type CD, which should have plenty of variety, But who knows, if I have extra time, maybe I’ll make some additional compilations with songs written by just one or two of the H-D-H team!

Again, treborij and 144 man, thank you for your responses and for the information!

I Hear A Symphony contains “a sparse, quiet beginning that stealthily builds into an ascending first movement, the same motif developed throughout the song (no chorus, just repetition, different voices playing…)”
_______________________

Has anyone else noticed that those “different voices” seem to include Lamont Dozier’s or Eddie Holland’s?

Recently, in listening to this song through my earphones, I seemed to detect some male — and only male — voices behind the lead.

At about 0:16 in, when the background chant is introduced, it seems to me like the “Baby, baby…” portion is vocalized solely by several male singers, while the following “I hear a symphony…” portion is carried only by several female singers.

Later on, while Mary and Florence are heard much more prominently, it again seems to me that there may be some male voices augmenting theirs all the way through the chant. It doesn’t happen each time, but it does seem to be there occasionally as the song continues to build.

I agree that it’s a 10/10, but I don’t understand the classical references other than the word “symphony” in the lyrics. It’s basically got two sections – both brilliant, and both very much in line with the types of harmonic innovations that HDH and others were developing circa 1965 (as opposed to any sort of classical connection). The main hook – C G/B Gmi/Bb Dmi Emi G – makes brilliant use of “slash chords” – in a way that in 1965 had barely been exploited. This section later modulates a half-step up at a time until it reaches Eb, where it stays. I think the section itself is more inspired than the oft-used device of repeating it a key higher each time, but the OTHER part is what really knocks me out. Oddly, it only occurs in the intro and after the very first verse – never again. It goes Fmi Eb Cmi – such that when it hits the Eb to Cmi, we’re in Eb and it sounds like the standard I-vi minor doowop change – but then the C minor becomes C major and we’re back at the main hook – totally brilliant. It’s one thing to modulate by doing the same thing in a higher key, but what they’re doing here is more like what they did on Baby I Need Your Lovin’. The Beatles were messing around with the idea of having songs that go between parallel major and minor (e.g., C and Cmi) but never like this. I kind of wish HDH had gone to this second section one more time at the end. In fact, since by that time the main section is in Eb, they might have been able to concoct a shocking twist ending such that they go to the second material in Eb, which would have jolted them back to the original key of C, a type of harmonic trick that WOULD be related to classical sonata allegro form in a quirky sort of way. But no problem … I’ll take it as it is – a masterpiece.

This song has a nice, catchy tune, but it’s way too “Poppish” for me to give it a “10”. For me it’s a “7”, and “The Happening” is a “6”. “Run, Run, Run” is my favourite Supremes’ song. But, The Supremes are pretty low on my Motown totem pole. If I mentioned exactly how low, here in print, n public, I’d be tarred and feathered.

I never said that I DISLIKE The Supremes. I would have discarded their records along with The Motown novelty records, if I had not liked them. Giving this song a “7” is not disliking it. “7” is an average Motown very good song. “5” is an average Motown song. I even gave “The Happening”, one of the weakest Supremes’ songs a “6”, which to me, is an above average song to listen to. It’s only below average when judged against the large bulk of excellent Motown recordings. I gave “Run, Run. Run”. “Lovelight” and “Back In My Arms Again” “9”. Does that indicate that I HATE The Supremes? NO! It’s just that I don’t rate their work and HDH’s work with them so highly as so many on this forum do.

“I have utterly run out of superlatives to describe the magic results that are the outcome of the blended talents of our Supremes and the moral genius of Eddie, Lamont and Brian. They manage to combine musical excitement, with a sound emotional feeling, and a depth of meaning. The truth of the lyrics lies in their simplicity. They speak from the heart, and the Supremes sing from the heart, and all these ingredients together make a disc that has just got to make Number One over here. Supremely successful. 5/5.
“[Flip] 4/5”

Another Billboard No1 and another UK flop, only managing a week at no 39! I’ve never understood why such a great record failed in the UK. I love this record but there are a few things about it that are dodgy. There is something a bit “off” with the timing, something is just not quite right. Diana is also flat in a number of places and struggles to keep time. This all makes the record sound a bit rough and lacking in that final polish which is a bit ironic when you consider the classical themes. There are several places where I wince when listening to the record. It sounds like maybe another “take” could’ve ironed out the mistakes. Yet despite the flaws the record is a classic. It is also the recording where the Supremes cross the Rubicon and become pure MOR showbiz schmaltz. Mary & Flo are also finally relegated to the background. It is a paradigm shift in the Supremes career.

Motown Junkies

This is Motown Junkies, an unofficial guide to every Motown single ever released, or planned for release, on every US Motown label (or via Tamla Motown in the UK), featuring reviews of each A-side and B-side in chronological order. New reviews appear every couple of days.

Think of it as an unauthorised track-by-track companion to the magnificent The Complete Motown Singles CD box sets, and beyond, with marks out of ten.

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